The blues releaseDavid Jacobs-Strain: Geneseois a work of art that begins with the packaging, and continues when you unfold the paper case, and find the beautifully printed CD and a small poster inside reminiscent of 70s albums where one looked forward to discovering each nuance. The experience continues with blues slide guitaristDavid Jacobs-Strain's rich vocals, poetic lyrics, and an impressive group of talented musicians. This release deserves a coveted spot in your music cache and repeated listening.

David Jacobs-Strain - Geneseo was produced by David-Jacob Strain and Mike Brown, and recorded at Temperamental Recording in Geneseo, New York, and The Chalet in Los Angeles.

Winter in Geneseo in rural upstate New York, in a converted 1820s church provided the magical inspiration for the latest David Jacobs-Strain release, aptly named, Geneseo, where he "recorded guitar and vocals on a laptop, rarely using more than one microphone." He wrote of the experience, "We had very little daylight but endless old instruments to try: a swap-meet banjo on one song, on another, the Conn Electric Band - an orphaned keyboard from the 1960s - which seemed to work best only on Tuesdays. The rest of the release developed on a road trip to Los Angeles. I had all the songs written but I didn't have a budget or a plan. I couldn't stand waiting, so we just starting recording as hoc." The result is pure genius.

An interesting note is that this project was "funded by fans; over two hundred people pitched in on Kickstarter to pay for the mixing and promotion. This record is intentionally under the corporate music radar; I've been making music on my own since I was a kid - it's the only thing I've ever fooled anyone into paying me to do! It feels very sweet to have people stand up and say that it means something to them."

The 10-track release shows great promise that begins with the opening track, All In My Head, and then continues to deliver the goods with each successive song fueling the appetite for more of David's stories.

Suzi Ragsdale joins David on Broken Bell lending her beautiful vocals to his to create stunning harmonies, with Al Sgro on shaker, and Will Golden playing a pump organ.

Try To Break My Heart benefits from the combined vocals of David Jacobs-Strain, John Raden, and Blake Padilla for a truly lush rhythmic sound, and Golden Gate kicks it up a notch.

David Jacobs-Strain's pure poetic style comes through on the track, Raleigh, with itslyrics, "She says that love is made of diamonds, I say it's made of glass, sharper than a winter morning, tonight I have no words to get it back."

Looking For A Home, features great guitar riffs and has a decidedly Southern blues-rock feel. Other stellar tracks include, Broken Hearts Lost & Found, and Dream On with its touching lyrics,"I want to touch your broken heart, it's tearing me apart ... dream on ... dream about me ..."

Daphne Odora has quick picking guitar and gripping lyrics, "I feel like a stranger in my own hometown..." that engage and draw the listener in with David's storytelling prowess.

The release closes with the stunning track, Josephine, with its lyrics, "Josephine loves me likes the fourth of July ... Josephine loves me, God knows the reason why ... bread and roses, coffee and nicotine ... Josephine's shining like a diamond in the sky ... Josephine loves me like the day loves the night ... Josephine loves me and she don't even have to try." David Jacobs-Strain's release Geneseo also shines like a diamond in the sky.